Plea not to pull plug on HIV/AIDS funding

Nigerian HIV/AIDS stakeholders have petitioned the Global Fund to ensure funding continuity despite complaints about financial mismanagement by implementing organisations. "Nigeria has the third largest burden of HIV after South Africa and India, - Nigeria can not afford to lose this very important source of funding," said Ngozi Iwere, project director of Lagos-based NGO Community Life Project (CLP). After persistent complaints of insufficient disbursement of money, poor reporting and non-achievement of targets, the Fund gave Nigeria until 8 November to either clarify the problems or lose funding. Iwere called on principal recipients, the country coordinating mechanism and technical partners to do all within their means to ensure that Nigeria meets the requirement of the Fund, Angola Press reported. In 2002 the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria earmarked US $70 million to prevent transmission and provide life prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to thousands living with HIV/AIDS. So far only US $28 million has been disbursed.